May 31, 2005

In France, NON Means OUI

In the wake of the resounding "NON" to the European Union constitution, French president Jacques Chirac is quickly spinning the news to whatever advantage he can. (It's second nature, of course, he is a politician.)

In his address, Mr Chirac said France's rejection of the EU constitution was not a rejection of Europe, but expressed a desire for "action and results" reflecting voters' discontent.

Like easing the nearly 10% unemployment rate...

"We cannot preserve our economic and social model, we can't bring our values to other parts of the world without holding our full place in Europe," he said.

What's to preserve? A plummeting economy and a social fabric ready to come apart at the seams, with Muslim immigrants poised for defiant action? France's economic and social models are in dire need of a difibrillator, and I'm not sure even that would do the trick. And to me, "full place in Europe" sounds more like "top banana of Europe."

In fact, the whole thing makes me think of that cheesy old Hanna-Barbera show with the four guys dressed like animals running around the amusement park...the Banana Splits. France, Germany, Belgium and (fill in the blank with your favorite) all bumbling about, vying for top position on the EU bureaucratic ladder.

"Together with our partners, I will seize all possible opportunities to revive the great European ambition."

Chirac will seize? All by himself? Shouldn't that "I" be a "we," as in the French people as a whole? Methinks Chirac takes too much upon himself. The ambition, of course, is to slap America down. Bad Americans, bad!

Earlier in the day, Mr de Villepin became prime minister replacing Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who resigned in the wake of the government's EU referendum defeat.

But of course, monsieur...when the going gets tough, the minions get the axe. You didn't think Chirac would take full responsibility, did you?

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Soros: Egged in Georgia

I'm not sure what to make of this:

Several dozen supporters of Georgia's ex-president Zviad Gamsakhurdia threw eggs at a car in which visiting U.S. businessman and philanthropist, Hungarian-born billionaire George Soros was traveling, Interfax news agency reported...

Soros, the head of the Development Foundation in his name, has been actively supporting democratic movements in Eastern Europe and his foundation has succeeded in precipitating changes in Serbia, Georgia and Ukraine. Several post-Soviet states have even declared him persona non grata.

Let's see...he supports democracy across the ocean, but is doing his best to impose socialism here in the U.S. I don't get this guy!

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A Day of Woe

OK, so you all know that yesterday was my birthday. Well, the fun and games are over...I am back at work, I have soot all over me after walking by a filthy bus, and I am suffering from my yearly bout of poison ivy. It's all over my neck and chest and is spreading to my face. I look like Freddy Krueger!

But my problems are nothing compared to what's going on in Europe after France's resounding "no" to the EU constitution:

The euro fell sharply on Monday as traders in the United States sold the currency a day after the French vote, slipping to a seven-month low of about $1.25 in late afternoon trading...

The most serious potential foreign fallout from the no vote in France came on Monday from Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, who called for a "time for reflection," saying it was too early to decide whether a popular vote could go ahead in his country...

In a sense, consideration of the constitution by other member countries, including the Dutch vote on Wednesday, is only a political exercise in democracy to allow each of them the right to proclaim approval or rejection. But the Dutch vote is important nonetheless.

From what I have read elsewhere, this is not exactly a death knell for the EU. However, it will slow things up considerably. It'll be an interesting journey to say the least.

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May 30, 2005

Happy Birthday to Me!

That's right, it's my birthday...and a holiday to boot. Woo hoo! Time to kick back and relax.

The French voted NON on the EU constitution, the Euro took a hit, and it's a sunny day here in southern New England. What more could I ask for? (Sure it's not nice for me to say that, but hey, Europeans don't think about our feelings before spouting off on how evil America is...)

Enjoy the day...I sure plan to!

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In Honor of Memorial Day

It's Memorial Day...a day not for department store sales and great deals on cars, but a day that was set aside to honor those who put themselves in harm's way to protect the American way of life.

By the late 1800s, many communities across the country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day and, after World War I, observances also began to honor those who had died in all of America's wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May. (Veterans Day, a day set aside to honor all veterans, living and dead, is celebrated each year on November 11.)

For more on the history of Memorial Day, click here.

Today is a day to be proud to be and American. Wave your flag proudly!

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May 29, 2005

Today: France Votes on EU Constitution

First of all, why do all of those European countries seem to vote on Sundays? Oh right, because they don't care about religion anymore.

Snarkiness aside, this is the day that could make or break the EU constitution France votes today and as all member states must ratify it, a no vote in France could well stop the process in its tracks. However, some experts are saying that's not necessarily so, as it could pass in another referendum. The constitution must be ratified by all by September of 2006; plenty of time for more hashing out..

According to the Telegraph UK, the French "no" means something much different than a British "no":

The French want more social protection and stronger workers rights enshrined in the constitution [figures - ed.]. The majority of those in Britain who oppose the constitution think the EU is taking too much power away from Westminster.

Europe is at a crossroads. Socialism and bureaucracy run amok has emasculated many of the countries, and citizens who once bowed to kings now bow to paper pushers in Brussels. Each country once had its own identity. Now, those identities are being pushed aside in order to create a super-state that, it is hoped, will be able to put the U.S. in its place (those darn Colonials).

Yet even if the EU constitution is accepted without a hitch, Europe faces many obstacles that are really self-imposed. Socialism is really a new form of the old feudal system, with the government doling out restrictions in the guise of benefits, and many have lost their will to do any more work that is necessary. The immigration and deliberate non-assimilation of Muslims is a bomb waiting to go off, as many of these people feel no allegiance to the countries in which they live, work, and raise their children.

The more nations that vote "No", the stronger the Eurosceptic case becomes. However, even without widespread support for the constitution, politicians will salvage parts of it by implementing them in other treaties. No doubt the EU's political pace would slow to a crawl for some time while the damage was repaired.

That's the crux of the situation. No matter if the people vote "no," the politicians will make sure they get their way in the end. Isn't that what bureaucracy is all about?

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May 28, 2005

Al Sharpton Takes on Talk Radio

For those of you who may have missed the article in yesterday's NY Post, Al Sharpton has big plans to become an afternoon drive talk radio host.

Why the sudden interest?

"Talk radio is dominated by right-wingers," he said, "and we need someone on the other side who is balanced and can give a forum for everybody."

Air America, pal, Air America. And note, it's not exactly burning up the Arbitron ratings system.

He says if his show was on the air right now he'd be talking about Iraq, Social Security and his favorite topic, the recent comment by Mexican president Vicente Fox regarding the jobs in America "not even blacks" will take.

All I can say to the good Reverend is, good luck...you'll need it. (I wonder when the last time Reverend Sharpton ever preached was? Anyone?)

Brian Maloney over at Radio Equalizer has an informative analysis on Sharpton's chances in the talk radio arena.

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May 27, 2005

Friday Night Roundup

Here's a bit of what's going on in the blogosphere this Memorial Day Weekend eve:

Mr. Fu over at the Wilson Fu Weblog has a great Archie Bunker quote related to the Amnesty International comparison of Guantanamo to the Gulag. What were they thinking, anyway?

Roger L. Simon has opened up a line of commentary on the question, "What does fair and balanced mean, anyway?" You can add you comments here.

NASCAR is next on the PC police list? Read all about it over at Lucky Dawg News (scroll down a bit for the post).

Kitty Litter gives us a great cartoon from the irrepressible NY Post, as well as links to celeb photos.

Big news over at Big Pharoah...he gives us a closer look at some of the anti-US-Koran-desecration protests going on in the Middle East, and dares to use the H-word.

For more international news, LimeyPundit discusses the 24-hour strike by the BBC.

Pat over at Brainster translates a Hillaryism.

Finally, I have a question: Travis Benning, where are you?

Enjoy your evening, everyone!

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Weighty Matters

On Lifelike Pundits, I talk about overweight people and their status as "the latest punching bags of American culture."

Read it here, and let me know your thoughts.

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The Angry Beaver of the Week!

And the first Angry Beaver of the Week award goes to...Warren Beatty. I'm sure he'll want to put it on the shelf with all of his other prestigious awards, including the Oscar he won for directing 1981's Reds...wouldn't you know it was a film about Communists?

Beatty decided to use a commencement speech at UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy to do some good old-fashioned Republican bashing, taking on fellow actor and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The actor who played a senator in the 1998 flop Bulworth "told graduates he doesn't want to be governor, although he thinks he could do a better job than Schwarzenegger and believes there are other Democrats who would be better still."

Following loser John Kerry's lead, Beatty didn't describe how he would make a better governor than Schwarzenegger, as he obviously feels his braying should be enough of an opiate for the unwashed masses. He did, however, put in a plug for raising taxes on the rich. (Nine out of ten Democrats surveyed recommended higher taxes for people who pay taxes.)

Fortunately for the citizens of California, he hasn't "ruled out" running for governor, even though he's much longer in the tooth than Schwarzenegger...68, compared to the Governator's 57. (Perhaps he'd have his sister, the reincarnation queen Shirley MacLaine, in a special advisory capacity to the governor.) To rule out a run, he said, is to say, "Take me out of the mix and don't listen to me any more." Please, Warren, please say you won't run.

In a comment that was surely meant to question Schwarzenegger's brainpower, Beatty spewed forth this little gem: "Can't we accept that devotion to the building of the body politic is more complex and a little more sensitive than devotion to body building?" It's also more complex and a little more sensitive than devotion to one's own self-image, but Beatty conveniently ignored that as he used the commencement podium to beat up on Schwarzenegger, who didn't even have the chance to debate him.

Beatty tried to cushion the blow by saying he has a "soft spot" even for right-wing actors. How charitable! Next, he'll be saying he'll be able to feel something for actors who can't seem to break out of commercials and B-movies. Mega-stars like Beatty can afford to be gracious to the little people.

As usual, anyone in blue Hollywood who even dares to wear red is considered open season by self-proclaimed "progressive" celebs. Yet despite being involved in politics for many years, Warren Beatty has yet to actually do something other than carp about what others dare to do...which is to actively seek solutions to the state of California's many problems. In his speech, Beatty capitalized on Schwarzenegger's current dip in the polls. However, as it is for Hollywood, so it is for politicians...the crowd is fickle, demanding immediate gratification. When they don't get it, polls go down. Beatty should understand that, for as they say in LaLa Land, "You're only as good as your last film."

And so Warren Beatty, for blowing the horn of criticism without having a solution to the problem, and for crassly displaying his obvious envy of Arnold Schwarzenegger, is Blogmeister USA's Angry Beaver of the Week.

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May 26, 2005

Major Newspaper Circs Continue to Nosedive

According to Newsmax, circulation numbers for major newspapers continue to plunge. Some of the numbers:

• Chicago Tribune: down 6.6 percent daily, 4.6 percent Sunday
• Los Angeles Times: down 6.4 percent daily, 7.9 percent Sunday
• San Francisco Chronicle: down 6 percent daily, 7.7 percent Sunday

A few papers posted minor gains, like USA Today's .5% rise in its daily numbers.

Still, the news doesn't look good for many papers. There are a few reasons why this might be:

• Fewer people give a hoot about the news on a daily basis.
• More people are becoming skeptical of MSM news coverage.
• More people are getting their news from sources such as Fox, CNN, and the Internet.

This last point may have more to do with it than anything. Most major newspapers have online editions, and many of those are free. The New York Times recently announced that it will begin charging for some online information, including its editorials and archived material.

Question: Why would anyone want to subscribe to a paper when most of its information can be found online for free?

The Newsmax article also mentions that the New York Times is planning on job cuts, representing approximately 1.5% of its workforce. This is a business decision made to keep the paper, which is part of a corporation, viable. It makes business sense, no matter how difficult a decision it may be.

What? The Times is part of corporation, concerned about the bottom line? Who knew? Will Paul Krugman add his paper to the list of greedy corporate entities, more concerned with profit than its employees? After all, it's doubtful the higher-ups are taking a paycut in order to keep jobs.

And will the NYT expect the government to take care of those it lays off, as it did in this editorial on December 9, 2003?

Perhaps the Times should step down from its homemade pedestal.

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If Your Kid is Invited to a Rainbow Party...

do NOT give him or her permission to go. Warning...sexual discussion coming up.

A rainbow party is one where girls wear different colored lipsticks and perform oral sex on the boys, giving the boys a "rainbow" to show off at the end of the evening.

Nice.

I first heard of this from a co-worker of mine and yesterday, Michelle Malkin mentioned it on her blog. There seems to be a book out discussing this phenomenon, aimed at 14-year-olds. The author claims not to be sensationalizing the topic, but bringing it up because it's something that is going on.

Remember, 14-year-olds are in 8th or 9th grade. Waaaay to young to be experimenting in this sort of "activity." You may even hear the excuse, "But it's not sex!" Wanna bet?

Thanks, Bill Clinton.

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May 24, 2005

Islamic Terrorists...Fall Guys for Spanish Socialists?

(Forgive the cheesy cast photo of that show The Fall Guy from the early '80s...I couldn't help myself.)

The headline is disturbing, but possibly true. In an article on the National Review's website, Frank J. Gaffney explores this frightening possibility. Regarding the 3/11 attacks in busy Spanish train stations that ultimately tossed the conservative government out on its ear, the Madrid newspaper El Mundo

...suggests that, almost immediately after the 12 bombs went off in one of the cityÕs busiest train stations, some in the Spanish police force fabricated evidence, then swiftly hyped it to the domestic and international press. The object seems to have been to support the oppositionsÕ claims that Islamists angry over the governmentÕs support for the war in Iraq were responsible for the attacks.

If this is true, then it can only prove that Spanish socialists were so desperate to win that they'd do just about anything.

We can't cut the Islamic terrorists any slack, of course. But if, IF, members of the Spanish socialist party were at all responsible for setting these guys up in order to win an election, then they are just as scary, if not more so, than the Islamic thugs willing to maim and kill innocent victims by bombing.

Gaffney reminds us that

...if the leads published in recent days pan out, it would appear that SpainÕs 2004 elections were stolen by terrorists, alright. But the terrorist operation that brought the socialists to power may have been an inside job Ñ in effect, a coup perpetrated by some of the same authorities who are responsible for preventing terror. Explosive stuff, if true. But all preliminary and speculative right now. [emphasis added]

The entire article can be found here. Will there be an investigation? Let's hope so...

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Baby Raping Lawyer on the Lam...

and believed to be in the New York area. John Dallas Lockhart. Remember his name.

This scumbag, while being investigated for fraud related to his law practice, was found to have photos of himself *raping* a four-month old child on his computer, along with other porn photos. He's a father of two, and the son-in-law of a former Ohio state senator.

His wife is divorcing him (bless her), and he's tearing around the country. While it's possible he is no longer in the NY area, he may still be.

Reading this article made me want to vomit. What an evil b*stard. Yes, evil. Don't excuse him with boo hooing about his being sick, mentally diseased and needing "help." Crimes such as these, especially crimes against innocent, helpless children, are evil and should be treated as such.

Catch him, cut it off, and let him rot in jail. No matter what their crimes, other prisoners are notorious for hating rapists of any stripe...especially child molesters. Usually I would just call for his being shot on sight, but giving him multiple doses of his own medicine might actually be the better punishment in this case.

He has been given the dubious distinction of landing on the US Marshal's 15 Most Wanted List...information here.

If you should have ANY helpful information, here is the place to call: Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at (866) 4-WANTED. I am sure any tips will be kept confidential, as they usually are in such cases.

Let's hope he's snagged soon, before other innocents are endangered.

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Please Help Me Welcome a New Blogger...

...to the blogosphere. Aggie blogs over at Cheese and Whine about the annoying things in life like the pet peeves of commuting by train...the Seat Hog and Cellphone Sal are discussed among others. Very humorous! She also beats up on cheapskates at garage sales who cheat little old ladies out of a few bucks.

Full disclosure: Aggie and I have known each other since high school, and even work at the same company at the moment. She's a lot like me, only nuttier. Please be sure to stop by and say hello!

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May 23, 2005

Coming: The Angry Beaver of the Week

Starting this Friday, I'll be naming my "Angry Beaver of the Week," the name courtesy of the cartoon that I will still watch if I catch the reruns.

So many Angry Beavers to choose from...who will receive the first prestigious naming? Howard Dean? Al Franken? Warren Beatty? Barbara Boxer?

Tune in Friday to find out!

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A Lesson on Economics From Two Dogs

Two Dogs over at Mean Ol' Meany has a wonderful 10-point lesson on economics and the government. Here is one of his finer points:

Point Four: Anyone that wants my money to study anything should give me a call at my house, during supper no doubt, and ask me to donate to their pet cause. The NRA did that about fourteen months ago and I gladly threw down a bunch of money to become a Lifetime Member. The funny thing is that I actually quit hunting about twelve years prior to that phone call, but some causes are too important to pass up. If you do not have the guts to call me personally to ask for my money, don't expect me to want you to have it.

Read the rest to be enlightened.

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Keith Thompson Jumps the Leftship Lollipop

In yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle, Keith Thompson writes a profound, and sometimes scathing, commentary on why he is leaving the party of the left. A sampling:

These days the postmodern left demands that government and private institutions guarantee equality of outcomes. Any racial or gender "disparities" are to be considered evidence of culpable bias, regardless of factors such as personal motivation, training, and skill. This goal is neither liberal nor progressive; but it is what the left has chosen. In a very real sense it may be the last card held by a movement increasingly ensnared in resentful questing for group-specific rights and the subordination of citizenship to group identity. There's a word for this: pathetic.

Read, read, read...here.

Hat tip: Dodo David at Lifelike Pundits.

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May 22, 2005

Coldplay: The Sound of a New Generation

First off, I would like to thank all of you who expressed condolences on the death of my brother-in-law. While there is still the memorial service to get through, as well as helping my sister get her life back on track, my mind is starting to work again. So again, many thanks.

Now, to business.

Recently, Chris Martin(aka Mr. Gwynneth Paltrow) of Coldplay complained that he and his bandmates were uncomfortable selling so many albums that stock prices of their record company, EMI, could be affected.

"It's very strange for us that we spent 18 months in the studio just trying to make songs that make us feel a certain way and then suddenly become part of this corporate machine," Martin said backstage.

He then moaned about what he called "the slavery that we are all under to shareholders".

Here's a solution for Mr. Martin (and Coldplay): once your contract is over, stop making music commercially. Just play the club circuit. That way, you can still make a living without being beholden to the evil corporation and its shareholders that provide you with the millions of dollars you and your wife seem to have no trouble spending.

Did they question the ethics of working with a corporation when your band was discovered and first signed to EMI? It's doubtful. Hypocrites like Chris Martin really make the rest of us want to toss our cookies. Here they are, sitting in the lap of luxury, making money hand over fist by creating music (not saving lives, not teaching schoolchildren, not policing dangerous city streets), and they're "uncomfortable" with it. Give me a break! If they were that dedicated to their code of ethics, they wouldn't have signed a contract in the first place.

In case the members of Coldplay really don't want to cut off the vast supply of money, here's another idea: sign a sponsorship deal with Pepsi. After all, what could be better to represent a company whose president and CFO, Indra Noori, thinks that America could be likened to the middle finger of a hand? A finger that

can convey a negative message and get us in trouble. You know what IÕm talking about. In fact, I suspect youÕre hoping that IÕll demonstrate what I mean. And trust me, IÕm not looking for volunteers to model...

Unfortunately, I think this is how the rest of the world looks at the U.S. right now. Not as part of the hand � giving strength and purpose to the rest of the fingers � but, instead, scratching our nose and sending a far different signal.

Evil capitalism and America, according to many in the world, go hand in hand. So Coldplay and Pepsi should have no problem inking a contract that would satisfy their leftwing guilt complexes.

(You can click here to see Indra Noori's apology.)

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May 20, 2005

I Won't be Posting for a Few Days...

...due to the unexpected death of my brother-in-law. We're all in shock, and my sister will need as much support as she can get.

I hope my small but loyal readership will check back in the next few days...I'll get back to posting as soon as I can.

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May 19, 2005

Iraq: A Battleground for Jihad

Iraq is asking its neighbors to keep the Ismalofascist terrorists out of Iraq in order to establish peace and stability in the newly-democratized country.

(Please note I didnÕt use the PC term Òinsurgents.Ó I believe in calling a spade a spade.)

"There are infiltrations of non-Iraqis through the border to carry out sabotage activities," [Prime Minister Ibrahim] al-Jaafari said of the meeting that may have been attended by most-wanted militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi himself. "It's up to our geographical neighbors. We are keen to preserve relations between us and neighboring countries, and these relations should be good."

...In Washington, Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. forces in the Middle EastÉnoted that "insurgent-inspired" activities are "clearly" taking place in Syria - though without Syrian government collusion.

ÒInfiltrations of non-IraqisÉinsurgent-inspired activities taking place in Syria.Ó What on Earth does that mean? It means that much of the bloodshed is not being perpetrated by disaffected Iraqis who desire to have Saddam (or someone like him) back in power. It means that jihadists from other Middle Eastern countries are using Iraq for their own ends.

Consider the nationalities of two of the most infamous names in the Islmofascist/al-Quaeda movement: Osama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Bin Laden is from Saudi Arabia and al-Zarqawi is from Jordan. While bin Laden coordinated the 9/11 attacks well before the ouster of Saddam Hussein, he has not been above using Iraq as a talking point for his overall war on the Western worldÉthe U.S. in particular.

Al-Zarqawi also has no qualms about using Iraq as a stage for his attempt to spread radical Islam:

The militant group led by terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, believed to be behind many deadly attacks in Iraq, has declared its allegiance to Osama bin Laden, citing the need for unity against Òthe enemies of Islam.Ó

This also apprarently includes Iraqi Shiites, whom al-Zarqawi has "denounced...as U.S. collaborators and...killing them is justified."

Also, in a paper published by the respected think tank Global Research in International Affairs in Israel published a paper analyzing the nationalities of 154 jihadists killed within a six-month period from 2004-2005:

ÉSaudi Arabia accounted for 94 jihadists, or 61 percent of the sample, followed by Syria with 16 (10 percent), Iraq itself with only 13 (8 percent), and Kuwait with 11 (7 percent.) The rest included small numbers from Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Algeria, Morocco (of which one was a resident in Spain), Yemen, Tunisia, the Palestinian territories (only 1), Dubai, and Sudan. The Sudanese was living in Saudi Arabia before he went to die in Iraq. [emphasis added]

On January 30, the Iraqi people made their wishes clear: they want democracy. They donÕt want evil dictators like Saddam Hussein. They donÕt want religion to dominate government; they want everyone to have a voice.

To the radicals, this is unacceptable.

The aim of the radicals is to spread Islam throughout the world, to make it a world religion. Let me repeat this point: it is the aim of radicals, not your everyday, garden-variety Muslim. They, like many of us, are too busy living their lives to think of world domination. Iraq has provided a convenient battleground for jihad.

Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari has called upon IraqÕs neighbors to help keep the terrorists out of Iraq. Will they heed his call?

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May 18, 2005

Banning Recruiters: It's Not Just for Colleges Anymore

We've all heard of the colleges who seek to ban military recruiters from their campuses in violation of the Solomon Amendment. Basically, any educational institution that receives government funding must allow military recruiters along with those from the private sector. The Supreme Court is, in fact, going to review the law in light of a lower court ruling in favor of a group of 25 law schools who want to ban the recruiters.

This sort of behavior from "higher education" has come to be expected. Now, at least one high school is following suit...in Seattle. Gosh, Seattle? Who would have guessed?

Garfield High School took a decisive step last week with a vote of 25 to 5 to adopt a resolution that says "public schools are not a place for military recruiters."

The school feels it's doing its duty by protecting the children:

"The mission of the PTA is to protect and defend kids," says Amy Hagopian, a mother of three whose son is a Garfield senior. "It's not just limited to education issues - which explains why the PTA takes positions on kids' health, violence, and other serious issues."

Of course, the fact that these children will be legal adults when they enter the armed forces is of no consequence. Recruiters aren't going for goggle-eyed freshmen, but students who are near graduation and seeking career alternatives.

Safety concerns aren't the only motives behind this move. There's concern that while the government is spending big bucks in Iraq, classes are being slashed:

"They're spending $4 billion a month in Iraq, but we have to cut our race relations class, which costs $12,500," Ms. Hagopian pointed out. "That's an important class for our kids."

Really? I'd love to see a copy of the syllabus. Whatever happened to setting a good example and teaching kids to rely on common sense? Instead, we spend money on race relations classes. My education is obviously incomplete, as this kind of thing simply didn't exist when I was in school. Maybe that's what's wrong with me...

What it comes down to is that these parents in Seattle dislike the military. Period. End of discussion. And rather than discuss these issues at home with their children, they figure everyone will benefit by their superior wisdom that the evil recruiters must be kept away. No matter that these high school students, getting ready to head into the real world, are supposed to be able to make choices based on what they are learning at home and at school.

If they're old enough to decide which college to go to, drive a car and hold a job, they're old enough to know if the military interests them or not.

These people accuse the military of discrimination. This is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

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To Arms, To Arms, The Europeans Are...Here

It's Invasion of the Body Snatchers, European-style.

According to Jonah Goldberg,

The ideas, assumptions and prejudices held by the statistically typical Democratic voter, according to the Pew study, are quite simply, European. Europeans believe in a strong social welfare state, for rich and poor alike. Europeans are cynical. They look askance - these days - on patriotic sentiment (hence the rush to form a new European nation). The church pews of Europe would make a great hideout for bank robbers since they're always empty. The United Nations is, in the typical European's worldview, the last best hope for mankind. From the death penalty to gay marriage, the more similar you are to a typical European in your political and social outlook, the more likely you are to be a Democrat.

Read more here. And watch out for those sneaky Europeans...they could be anywhere!

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May 17, 2005

Upgrades to Turtle Bay: A High Price for New York

The United Nation headquarters in New York City are in sad shape. Major renovations are needed if the institution is to stay in its present location and, if the U.N. gets its way, New Yorkers might be footing the bill.

Of course, that's not what they say. According to the New York Post, they're asking for $650 million in bonds guaranteed by state taxpayers to cover a $1.2 billion renovation and expansion of U.N. headquarters.

The plan is that fees paid by member nations in the coming years will cover the cost of the bonds. But what if the U.N defaults on the bonds? New York state taxpayers will be the ones paying them back. State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno has posed an interesting question:

"How can we trust the U.N. nations to pay the fees to pay off this debt when they don't even pay their parking fines?" The city is owed $195 million.

Not only that, but 40 percent of the U.N.'s members are behind in their payments.

Then there's the question of why it's going to cost so much when others say the renovations can be made for less. Donald Trump, for example, claims he could do it for $500 million. That's nearly half of what the U.N. is estimating. Something smells fishy in Turtle Bay...and it isn't sea creatures.

Remember that movie The Money Pit? Tom Hanks and Shelly Long play a young couple who splits up as a result the rising costs and nasty experiences of renovating a "charming" fixer-upper.

New York and the rest of the United States are the young couple. The U.N. is the moldering heap they're throwing money at. And while in Hollywood we can expect happy endings, they happen with far less frequency in the real world. The U.N. has made its disdain for its host country eminently clear, and yet it expects us to dig deeper and deeper into our pockets to fund its increasingly grandiose plans.

Johan Fernandez of the European website The Star Online asked this question back in November:

It is hard to imagine how an institution that is regarded highly around the world can be treated with such disdain here.

Sure, if you're a European who looks down his nose at America daily. But we here in America are tired of the U.N. and European attitude that nothing we do is right unless it's opening our wallet...and then we get flak if we don't do it fast enough.

I hear there's plenty of great real estate in Paris, Berlin and Brussels. Perhaps the U.N. would be better off among its own.

Additional reading: Trouble at Turtle Bay

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Take the Made in America Quiz

Click here to take the quiz.

I scored 40%...big time loser. See how much YOU know about American products!

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I Feel Special

I just got my first con act on my way to the office today. Some guy stopped me on the street, gave me a long spiel about how he was a costume designer for some hotshot director, had locked himself out of his apartment while valuable costumes were languishing in some hallway somewhere, and needed cabfare.

Meanwhile, he was riding a bike and carrying a cellphone.

I was so dumbstruck that I couldn't even cut him off at the pass. I let him finish his speech, told him I was broke, and he walked off in a huff.

New York...what a city!

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Polite is a Relative Term

Don't get my drift? Head on over to Brainster's, where Pat will give you all of the details.

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May 16, 2005

The Growing Need for Accountability in Reporting

The latest scandal in the MSM is the Newsweek story about the Òflushing of the KoranÓ by interrogators over at Guantanamo Bay in order to get prisoners to talk.

Riots ensued in the Muslim world, causing the destruction of U.S. and U.N. buildings. Not to mention, approximately 16 Muslims were killed, while 100 others were injured. Holy war was called for against the U.S. by radical mullahs.

Now it turns out that the implications in the Newsweek article wereÉfalse.

ThatÕs right, false. And while Editor Mark Whitaker has apologized for the error and extends Òsympathies to victims of the violence and to the U.S. soldiers caught in its midst," itÕs just another black eye for the MSM, which has gone through a lot lately.

Now letÕs be realistic: Reporters are human just like the rest of us. They make mistakes. And any good reporter will, when a mistake is made, correct it as soon as possible. I have first-hand experience in this: Shortly after I graduated from college, I took a job as a newscaster/reporter for a small AM radio station. I was excited about the prospect of furthering my career in radio (I had been working part-time as a DJ), but wasnÕt sure how much IÕd like reporting. However, I was willing to give it a go.

Unfortunately, a few weeks into the job, I made an error in a local story that ran for most of the morning after I had written it. When someone involved in the story called my boss to tell her, she corrected it immediately. And, when I came in for my afternoon/evening shift, she told me what happened.

I did not get fired. She was willing to keep me on. However, I was mortified that I might make similar errors in the future. Afterward, I had knots in my stomach whenever I had to go into work. Eventually I resignedÉI couldnÕt take the pressure.

When mistakes happen, someone needs to be accountable. In this case, both my boss and I took responsibility for the error. However, my inaccuracy didnÕt cause riots, destruction and death. And, my mistake wasnÕt a result of any particular agendaÉI simply got my facts wrong because I wasnÕt listening closely.

Whether theyÕll admit to it or not, much of the MSM has an agenda. ItÕs an agenda that is more often than not contradictory to what the current administration stands for. So the question remains: in their haste to discredit President Bush, are more inaccuracies being presented to the public? The Dan Rather/CBS fake memo debacle and Eason JordanÕs Òoff the recordÓ comments come immediately to mind.

Journalists claim they are unbiased in their reporting. If theyÕre going to make that claim, theyÕre going to have to do a much better job of proving it.

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Stupidity in Cannes

It seems as though Europeans just canÕt find enough ways to insult the United States. Now, theyÕre using Star Wars to make ridiculous comparisons:

Audiences viewing "Episode Three -- Revenge of the Sith" at the Cannes Film Festival are comparing the story of Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side and the rise of an emperor through warmongering to President Bush's war on terrorism and the invasion of Iraq.

Among the lines they cite is when Anakin tells former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi "If you're not with me, then you're my enemy." After the Nine-Eleven attacks, Bush said, "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."

Of course, the fact that the Star Wars series was created long before the war in Iraq doesnÕt stop these people from whining, carping, and generally making stupid comments.

The more these people make such ridiculous comments, the more pathetic they look. Their dislike of the U.S. is based upon envy. If they would ditch socialism and support free markets, theyÕd stop bashing America, because theyÕd be too busy being productive.

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May 14, 2005

Where Are the Stars Arianna Promised Us?

For all the hoopla that led up to the unveiling of the Huffington Post last Monday, the whole thing sure is a let-down.

Not that I really expected to like the site. But Ms. Huffington was puffing about the tremendous star power that was going to be a part of her fancypants entrance into the blogosphere. Of course, she blogs too...right now, she's blogging from Greece, and she calls Homer the "original blogger." Gag.

Who else do we get?

Ellen DeGeneres, John Cusack, Rob Reiner and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (with has-been hubby Brad Hall along for the ride.)

That's it? That's the huge stable of stars? Oh sorry, I forgot Harry Shearer.

We also hear from a few "knowns" in the business of news and commentary, namely Walter Cronkite and David Frum. And as you'll see, Huffington shows her commitment to "diversity" by throwing a few conservatives our way (Frum being one). I'm touched.

It has news items too, but if I want news, I'll check out Drudge Report, or any number of online newspapers (U.S. and international).

So far, the Huffington Post has been a drag. It's boring. It's poorly designed...the page is too "busy," making finding what you want somewhat annoying. Not only that, but there are way too many people involved in it, and most of them seem to be people known only to Hollywood insiders.

I mean, who the heck are Bruce Cohen, Marc Cooper, Torie Osborne and others? Yeah sure, I could check out the "author bios" to see who they are and what they're "famous" for. If they're so famous, though, why do I need to check their bios for information? I should be able to spot a name and say, "So that's what so-and-so has to say."

Sure, bloggers like me aren't exactly household names either. But we don't pretend to be. Yes, we like to see our site meter counts go up, and we enjoy having comments posted by our readers. Some of us even hope to gain the same high profile as blogs like Little Green Footballs and Roger L. Simon. (BTW, what's up with the "no commenting" on the bloggers' posts? Readers can post on the so-called news bits, but I guess Hollywood elitists can't take the chance that some unknown slob from America's heartland might have something less than flattering to say about what they've written.)

Yet fame or no fame, we'll continue to do it as long as we have the desire and patience. It's a hobby, sure, but a passionate one. Not only do we blog, but we check out other blogs to see what other average Joes are saying. We already know what most of LaLa Land thinks, thanks to the MSM. Why read a blog to find out?

The Huffington Post...here to stay? Just another Hollywood status symbol, like having a clothing line, makeup line or perfume named after you? Or doomed to go the way of TV shows like Battle of the Network Stars?

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Saturday Afternoon Roundup

Here's what a few people are talking about:

Chrenkoff writes about the latest al-Quaeda big man capture.

The weekly jackass over at Decision '08 is Arianna Huffington...I wonder why?

Two Dogs at Mean Ol' Meany brings up the subject of exotic names and how they link to better grades in school. Veddy intedestink!

Kitty Litter blogs about Angelina Jolie's latest sexy photo-op. Ooh la la!

And Joe over at geosciblog gives us all a much-needed lesson on the climate. A must-read if you're at all wondering about the global warming thing that has the greens all in a tizzy. (Joe is a geologist, so I assume he knows a little bit about the subject.)

Enjoy the day!

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May 13, 2005

Trafficking of African Boys in Britain

The shameful trafficking of human chattel (in this case from Africa) continues:

Scotland Yard today revealed it has been unable to trace all but two of 300 black boys aged four to seven reported missing from school in a three-month period.

Child welfare experts say the number highlights the scale of the trade in children brought to Britain as domestic servants and covers for benefit fraud.

It turns out this number was computed as a result of the discovery of a young black boy's torso in the Thames four years ago.

That this horrendous practice continues to plague society in the year 2005 is difficult to comprehend. What is even more incomprehensible is that the U.N., "champion of human rights," doesn't seem to be doing much about it. They're more worried about celebrity domain names and covering up scandals than doing what they're supposed to. And in the U.S., certain black groups are demanding reparations because of what slaves went through before their emancipation in 1863. What about the obvious slave trafficking that continues in Africa today, as well as sex trafficking in Asia?

Where is the outrage? What about these boys missing in England?

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Were the Minutemen Too Good?

An article in today's Washington Times claims that border patrol agents have been instructed to avoid the 23-mile stretch covered by the Minutemen volunteers in Arizona last month:

More than a dozen agents, all of whom asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, said orders relayed by Border Patrol supervisors at the Naco, Ariz., station made it clear that arrests were "not to go up" along the 23-mile section of border that the volunteers monitored to protest illegal immigration...

Another agent said the Naco supervisors "were clear in their intention" to keep new arrests to an "absolute minimum" to offset the effect of the Minuteman vigil, adding that patrols along the border have been severely limited.

Border patrol officials, of course, deny the charge.

Whether or not this claim is true, the fact that the Minutemen made a huge difference in how many illegals made it across the border in that area:

Several field agents credited the volunteers with cutting the flow of illegal aliens in the targeted Naco area, saying the number of apprehended illegals dropped from an average of 500 a day to less than 15 a day.

It makes me wonder if bureaucrats in our border patrol system...the ones who sit at a desk all day instead of being on patrol on the front line...are worried about being made to look bad. If that's the case, it's a sad commentary that they are more worried about appearances than security.

Kind of like the Democrats.

Why does our country even have immigration laws if we aren't going to enforce them? We should just dissolve the Border Patrol altogether and save some money...money that will be needed to go toward medical treatment, education and other services that illegals deserve, according to sympathizers.

And why is President Bush dragging his feet on the illegal immigrant/border issues? He needs to take action now.

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May 12, 2005

A Major UN Victory

Thanks to the tireless efforts of that humanitarian institution known as the United Nations, actor Morgan Freeman has won the rights to his domain name on the Internet.

Other celebrities, including Julia Roberts, Madonna, Nicole Kidman, Pamela Anderson, Pierce Brosnan and Carmen Electra, have also gotten their domain names restored to them through the UN-sponsored arbitration process.

It's amazing what the UN can do when the incentive is right...in this case, apple-polishing for celebs who might someday agree to become UN Goodwill ambassadors.

Perhaps they'll work on human rights abuses in Darfur and the Sudan, now that this important mission has been accomplished successfully.

HAT TIP: Gop and the City

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Shoot the B*stard

Father confesses to killing his 8-year-old daughter and her friend.

Don't waste time, don't waste money. One bullet is all it takes.

It's because of incidents like this that I am all for the death penalty.

UPDATE: Here's an idea...pit this guy against the mother and father recently charged with second degree murder of their child, until recently known as Precious Doe, in a Roman Coliseum-type setting. The last person left alive will get a bullet to the head.

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Latest Setback to French EU Vote

According to the UK's Telegraph, Danielle Mitterand, 80, has withdrawn her support for the EU constitution.

Mitterand is the widow of former French socialist president Fran�ois Mitterrand.

"The constitution institutionalises another dictatorship which we reject," she said.

"It is a system which treats man like an economic object and forgets that he can think, and which generates the worst human misery - unemployment and pollution.''

Strong words from a woman whom the backers of the EU constitution were counting on for her support. I especially like how she compares the socialist aspect of the constitution to dictatorship, and claims it will take away the ability of a citizen to think for himself.

French citizens will vote on the constitution next month. The outcome will definitely be interesting!

NOTE: To read the Telegraph article you must be registered with the site. Registration is free.

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May 11, 2005

Tuition Breaks for Illegal Aliens

It appears that a law in Kansas allows tuition breaks to illegals who have attended a Kansas high school for at least three years or who have earned their GED in Kansas.

And, Kansas isn't the only state with this kind of law--California, Illinois, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington all have similar laws on their books.

The law is being challenged in Kansas, however, by a group of students who don't think it's fair to give such tuition credits to people who are already breaking the law by sneaking into the country in the first place.

Of course, those who support the law say it would be a hardship to "punish" those students by taking away the monetary gains. "It's almost a knee-capping, a destruction, of the life chances of these kids," said [attorney Peter] Roos.

Boo hoo.

The point that these supporters seem to be missing, however, is that these students and their families are in the country ILLEGALLY, hence the term "illegal alien." Why should taxpayers in Kansas and other states pay for these kids to go to school when their own parents don't pay taxes? And on top of that, they get money off their higher education tuition?

America is not the world's welfare state. We do not exist to give free rides to those who won't play by the rules. Immigrants who jump through all of the hoops to get here have a right to be angry when those who sneak in get privileges that aren't their due. Natural citizens have a right to be angry as well, as it is their taxes that pay for education, health care, and other benefits for illegals.

This administration, for all of the good things it does, has really dropped the ball on the issue of illegal immigrants. President Bush needs to stop worrying about the Hispanic vote and start doing something about it now. He famously says he doesn't pay attention to polls, but does what he thinks is right. It appears, however, that this policy doesn't count when it comes to the immigration problem.

If we're going to have immigration laws, we need to start enforcing them: beginning at the borders and ending with the deportation of people who got in but shouldn't be here. Not only is it a drain on our healthcare and educational systems, but a problem of national security.

Secure the borders now.

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Pushing the Envelope in Sex Ed

Wisconsin middle schoolers apparently were given free condom samples at a health fair.

Apparently the school administrators didn't know an AIDS awareness group was giving them away, and it was stopped when it became known.

How about discussing abstinence, especially with students aged 11-14? What the heck is wrong with people?

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The Debate: Evolutionalism vs. Creationism

As most of you are undoubtedly aware, there is a battle coming up in Kansas regarding how the Earth and its inhabitants were created.

Six days worth of courtroom-style hearings held by the Kansas Board of Education will begin tomorrow, with scientists giving testimony to rebut claims by the Intelligent Design Network (IDN). The IDN is a group that was formed to further the argument that Earth was created by intentional design, not random biological processes.

Frankly, this sort of thing can't come at a worse time for conservatives.

I am all for freedom of religion. I am annoyed by those who are intentionally trying to eradicate all signs of this country's religious ties from public life by fighting for the removal of Ten Commandments plaques, taking the word "God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance, and the various other instances that have made headlines in recent years. People who interpret the First Amendment to our Constitution,"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances," as meaning religion must be totally erased from the public arena really need to study the Constitution a bit more.

But I take exception to this latest attempt to teach creationism in Kansas.

It's one thing to allow children to pray in school, or to allow Christmas decorations and parties. It's quite another to actually teach what is essentially a faith-based initiative. As a Christian, I confess to having doubts as to whether the Earth, man and animals were created exactly as the Bible says. I do believe God was behind things, but I think that the study of biology and geology are definitely appropriate in this area. A lump of clay being formed into man just doesn't do it for me. Some Christians will consider this blasphemy, but as I'm the one who has to look after my own soul, I'm not too worried about it.

As it is essentially a "believe it or not" issue based on religious faith, creationism has no place in public schools. Private religious schools can teach it if they wish to. Otherwise, this sort of thing should remain at home and in the church.

The left has made huge inroads in how our schools are run. Politically correct initiatives have become more important than certain basic educational needs. For example, standardized testing has come under fire because "children learn in so many different ways." That's true. But, until a better way to evaluate large masses of children comes along, standardized testing remains the best indicator as to whether or not children are learning. I have read of some high schools abolishing the class rank system because the students who are on the low end tend to have their feelings hurt. Come on! If it bothers them that much, you'd think they'd study harder. What about the students who work hard and excel? Why should they be penalized?

Conservatives have been fighting the good fight against issues like these for some time, and will continue to do so. Now that we have the creationist movement rearing its head in Kansas again, it only gives the left more ammunition: "The religious crazies are at it again. This is why we shouldn't have conservatives as teachers and administrators."

I, for one, hope this latest attempt at teaching creationism fails. East and West coast leftists don't need another reason to look down upon Red Staters in "flyover country." While religion definitely has a place in public life, actually teaching what is essentially a religious subject should be off limits.

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May 10, 2005

W Rocks Georgia

Apparently France hasn't been able to affect all of European opinion about George W. Bush. Georgia, the former Soviet province, welcomed the President and First Lady on the final day of their 5-day European tour:

In a lively and chaotic scene, dancers in red-black-and-white costumes and colorful headscarves performed dozens of routines around the smiling, hip-shaking, clapping president. Bush clearly was caught up in the enthusiasm, which contrasted with the protests that have greeted him in some other countries.

I'm glad Mr. and Mrs. Bush were able to end their trip on a high note.

Blogs for Bush has more on the subject.

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Photo Caption Contest...

...over at GOP and the City. Come up with your best caption or Photoshopped image of the lovely photo (I won't spoil the surprise).

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Huffington Post a Dud?

According to Nikki Finke over at LA Weekly it is:

Judging from today's horrific debut of the humongously pre-hyped celebrity blog the Huffington Post, the Madonna of the mediapolitic world has gone one reinvention too many. She has now made an online ass of herself.

Ha ha...those are some choice words. Finke goes on:

Forgive them, these bleating blowhards on Arianna's blog, because they know not what they do. Not Seinfeld has-been Julia Louis-Dreyfus and her untalented TV-hyphenate husband, Brad Hall, making unfunny shtick of the anti-gay-marriage movement. Not has-been director Mike Nichols, using the forum to parade his high school grasp of U.S. history by mentioning "de Tocqueville" and "Dr. King" in the same paragraph. Not has-been brat-packer John Cusack, penning the 459,308th remembrance of Hunter Thompson for the sole purpose of letting the world know that the actor scored an invite to the writer's intimate memorial service. Still, the celebs aren't to blame here, because they made the bad mistake of allowing Arianna to sweet-talk them into believing that they had something to say in the first place.

Exactly. I said the similar things regarding the posts by Louis-Dreyfus/Hall and Cusack yesterday.

Now I know that I probably have just as little to say as some of these celebrities. I don't expect to garner fame and fortune by my posting here. I do it because it's fun for me, and it gives me a way to vent my political spleen. Unlike the celebrities Huffington rounded up (and those she failed to round up), I don't have magazines, newspapers and television calling me to ask for my opinion on everything from the war in Iraq to how I decorate my modest ranch home. Heck, I don't even have my photo posted...I don't think the few people who read my blog are that curious about what I look like.

But you know that the celebs who did sign up were figuring they'd get even more exposure...positive exposure, that would give the little people greater insight to their superior intellects and social views. Like we needed more of that!

Michelle Malkin figures the blog will surivive due to sheer curiosity. Finke thinks not. Who is correct depends upon the blog-reading public, meaning you and me. Whaddaya say...are we up for the challenge?

UPDATE: The Democratic Underground has some (as always) choice comments regarding the HP. This time, of course, they are practically falling all over themselves to compliment Arianna and pals.

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Thinking on the Left Side of the Spectrum

Please, please, please...read Thomas Sowell's current article.

Recently a friend described a meeting with a nasty-tempered leftist who was from a rich family. Unfortunately, there are a lot of leftists who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth -- and, instead of being grateful, are venomous against American society.

Conversely, there are people like yours truly who were born on the other end of the economic scale and think this is a great country. No one has really explained either of these phenomena.

Maybe a painful confrontation with the facts of life early on makes it harder in later years to get all worked up over abstract issues that seem to preoccupy the left.

What are those abstract issues? Read it to find out.

The man is brilliant.

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May 09, 2005

Huffington Post...Ye Gads, It's Live!

The Huffington Post is now live and on your computer. Check it out so you can see what the likes of John Cusack, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Ellen DeGeneres really think since their opinions are just stifled by the right-wing press these days, doncha know.

*snicker*

Then, go to this website in order to place commentary where the Huffington Report won't allow you to. It's had well over a million hits just today!

(One commentator complained that Michelle Malkin won't allow comments on her site either, but Malkin reasonably explains why here.)

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On the Sinking of the SS Democrat

Victor Davis Hansen's latest article (posted last Friday...yes, I'm slow) discusses the "deepening trouble" the Democrats are finding themselves in. On class warfare and why it no longer works, Hansen writes:

A Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, John Edwards, Howard Dean, George Soros, or Al Gore looks Ñ no, acts Ñ like he either came out of a hairstylist's salon or got off a Gulfstream. Those who show up at a Moveon.org rally and belong to ANSWER don't seem to have spent much time in Bakersfield or Logan, but lots in Seattle and Westwood. When most Americans have the semblance of wealth Ñ televisions, cell phones, cars, laptops, and iPods as well as benefits on the job Ñ it is hard to keep saying that "children are starving." Obesity not emaciation is the great plague of the poorer.

So the Democrats need a little more humility, a notion that the country is not so much an us/them dichotomy, but rather all of us together under siege to maintain our privileges in a tough global world Ñ and at least one spokesman who either didn't go to prep school or isn't a lawyer.

Classic and priceless...as always when it comes from the pen of VDH. Do yourself a favor and read it all.

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More on Man Bashing

Interestingly enough, after yesterday's post, this link is featured on today's edition of Front Page Magazine.

Discover the Network, David Horowitz's new and controversial website that documents left wing activists and sympathizers, profiles the National Women's Law Center. Among the items on their agenda are:

• Support of Title IX requirements that mandate women's sports programs getting equal financial support as men's programs (even if the demand isn't there): Title IX has forced many schools to purge, for financial reasons, some of their male squads, with football and certain Olympic category sports often being the first to be eliminated. UCLA, for example, was forced to eliminate its men's swim team, which had produced a number of U.S. Olympic medal-winning swimmers.

• A desire to interpret sexual harassment more broadly, which would mean a woman could pretty much point her finger to any guy who "offended" her and call it harassment. Really, ladies...if you want to get equal treatment, you can't go around crying "harassment" at every turn if you want to be taken seriously. I'm not saying that your boss expecting sexual favors for either promotion or continued imployment is acceptable...far from it! But if you can't take an off-color joke or two, maybe you should just throw in the towel and go home to garden and knit.

• A repeal of all laws that exempt women from combat duty, even though it's likely that having women in combat would compromise the effectiveness of the military. But military effectiveness is less important than the hurt feelings of feminists who are determined to overturn any hint of patriarchy.

But you don't have to take my word for it. Read the profile yourself.

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May 08, 2005

Man Bashing...It's Got to Stop

Yes, I said it. Man bashing has got to stop.

In a bid to "even the scales" for the "social injustices" women have been forced to endure for centuries in the Western world, men and boys are having to take a back seat to women and girls in ways that are absolutely ridiculous. (If you want a look at true discrimination, see how women in Muslim societies are treated.)

For example, the University of California San Francisco recently hosted a "Bring Your Daughter and Son to Work Day" seminar. (When the nationwide "day" began, it was just for daughters...but the discrimination against boys was finally figured out). Activities for the day included working with microscopes, seeing what happens in an operating room, playing doctor, nurse or surgeon for the day, learning about earthquake preparedness, and other exciting things.

If you were a girl.

Boys got to Learn about "gender equity in fun, creative ways using media, role playing and group games" -- after which, the boys can get a bit of time in with a microscope or learn how the heart works.

Center director Amy Levine claimed the day wasn't a career day, but "... about dealing with effects of sexism on both boys and girls and how it can damage them."

Hogwash. It's reverse discrimination, pure and simple.

Women have made great strides as far as equality in the workplace is concerned over the past three or four decades. Unfortunately, many feminists refuse to believe that there are innate differences between males and females that can't be erased by "sensitivity training." Larry Summers knew that, but said it publicly at his own peril.

Feminists also get their knickers in a twist when some women choose to fulfill their biological destiny by having children and some (gasp!) decide to stay home with those children. The audacity of these women is simply unbelievable! All that burning of bras for nothing. Gosh, I thought feminism meant choice and equal pay for equal work...not that women who chose traditional roles would be considered traitors to the cause.

Many universities now have Women's Study programs. Corporations often offer workshops and seminars directed toward their female employees only. Thanks to the implementation of Title IX, men's sports programs at universities are being jettisoned in favor of women's sports programs (despite evidence that fewer women than men are interested in participating). What about programs for the guys? Why are they suddenly persona non grata?

Have you seen that great line of clothing for girls? You know, like the one at the top of this post that says "Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them." What the heck is that teaching girls? We scream at men and boys to be tolerant and understanding of women and girls, but t-shirts like this are okay? How is little eight-year-old Johnny supposed to feel when he sees a girl wearing a shirt like that?

Bottom line: There will always be inherent differences between men and women. We should be embracing those differences. While it's important to remember that women are capable of more than running a household and raising children, it's also important to realize that men have feelings too...even if they don't wear them on their sleeves. The current trend of man bashing is not only hurtful to individuals, but hurtful to society in general, as ingrained social roles are tossed aside willy nilly by those who dislike those traditional roles.

Gender equality, as in "men and women shall have no differences whatsoever" is not only untrue, but as a practice is hurting our social fabric. It has to stop now.

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May 07, 2005

Nude "Art" in Belgium

And this is "art" why?

Almost 2,000 people braved the frigid weather early on Saturday, but they didn't get cold feet.

They all went naked in the centre of gothic Bruges in an art "happening" organized by photographer Spencer Tunick.

So now thousands of people crowded together in the nude in the bitter cold is considered art. Society sure has come a long way, baby.

To think I criticized The Gates in Central Park as being lame "art." This tops it for sure.

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May 06, 2005

More European Whining...About Literature?

While some here in America worry that the people behind Google lean a bit too far to the left (they may, they may not...it's not the subject of this post), it seems Europe is worried that Google is ready to take over the world! (Cue ominous music...)

According to Newsmax, a new project by Google, called Google Print, involves the scanning of millions of books from Oxford, Harvard, Stanford and the University of Michigan, along with the New York Public Library. Scanning the books and putting them online will take years to accomplish.

So what's Europe doing about it? Are they planning to undertake their own book scanning project? It doesn't seem likely, since the elite seem to spend more time complaining about it than anything else.

Jean-Noel Jeanneney - who as president of the French National Library oversees a collection of 13 million books - presented a vision of Google potentially hijacking "the thought of the world" in a book he published this week entitled, "When Google Challenges Europe."

"I think that this could lead to an imbalance to the benefit of a mainly Anglo-Saxon view of the world," Jeanneney said in a telephone interview. "I think this is a danger."

He noted that French cinema thrives only because the government took steps to ensure its survival against an American onslaught.

In other words, French cinema doesn't survive because people want to see it, but because it's subsidized by the French government. That's not exactly a reason to run out to see the latest flick starring Gerard Depardieu.

But Google is reaching out:

Google said it is eager to work with libraries all over the world so that even more books can be included in its search engine index.

"We are supportive of all digitization efforts because we believe everyone benefits when more information is available online," said Susan Wojcicki, the company's director of product development. U.S. libraries already are contributing a significant amount of material written in foreign languages, Wojcicki added.

So why all the carping?

It seems that, rather than working with Google or coming up with their own scheme (which would face criticism as well, according to the Newsmax article), many Europeans are doing what they do best: complaining in cafŽs and journals, while postulating that anything American is culturally inferior by default.

From our humble beginnings, Americans have always been innovators. We've had to be, otherwise our forefathers would never have made it in the oft-harsh climes of the New World. We've also always taken our freedoms very seriously.

Europeans, on the other hand, have always either been stifled by monarchies or some other form of government that smothers creativity and free markets (Communism and socialism come readily to mind). It's no wonder that they lag behind America when it comes to the marketplace, and only by banding together to form the EU has their new currency been able to trump the dollar (although unemployment rates continue to soar in places like France and Germany).

It's time Europeans stopped lashing out at America and come up with real solutions to their ever-decreasing relevance in the 21st century.

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English the Official Language of Arizona?

The Arizona legislature has passed the resolution, and now it remains up to Governor Janet Napolitano to sign it into law.

If she does, Arizona would be the 28th state to have such a law on the books.

U.S. English, Inc. chairman Mauro E. Mujica issued a statement, which includes the following passage:

English remains the key tool for full participation in American life. Sadly, more than 500,000 Arizonans struggle because they are not proficient in English, unable to obtain better jobs, help their children with homework, or speak with their neighbors. This legislation would create a long-awaited language policy to bring together all Grand Canyon State residents on the road to English fluency.

Tell that to the bilingual education crowd.

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Hitting a New Low

GoldenPalace.com, the online casino that has purchased such treasures recently as the sandwich resembling the Virgin Mary and a haunted cane, claims they have now purchased something with real star quality:

Online casino Golden Palace has spilled $5,001 for Britney Spears' alleged home pregnancy test. "It's hard to put a price on Britney Spears' urine," Golden Palace spokesman Drew Black told The Associated Press Wednesday.

Perhaps the next logical step is to dig through the trash of clinics that give colonic irrigation to the Hollywood crowd....ugh!

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A Couple of New Blogs to Check Out:

Chris over at Lucky Dawg News discusses politics with a conservative bent...with a bit of NASCAR news thrown in. Chris also seems to love Photoshop...he has an interesting photo of the runaway bride today.

Jeff, proprietor of The Bernoulli Effect, blogs about the U.N., Hollywood antics, tax reform and more. His posts are thoughtful and articulate. I'm jealous!!!

Be sure to check these fine blogs out for yourself!

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Woo Hoo...I've Hit 1,000!

Thanks to those of you who come here to read what I feel like writing!

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"Fill in the Blank" Heritage Month

Below is a string of e-mail correspondence between a co-worker (and friend) of mine regarding all of the "heritage months" that seem to be popping up:

J: Is there a German Heritage Month? We have had African-American Month, Hispanic Heritage month and now[our company] invites you to a Lunch and Learn in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

I love that we recognize all the diversity but it should be for ALL.

Me: There isnÕt a Russian Heritage Month or a French Heritage Month either. ItÕs because those are white European ethnicities, so they donÕt count as far as diversity goes.

Before you know it, there will be an Arab Heritage Month.

And the problem with Òcelebrating all of this diversityÓ is that it only serves to divide, rather than unite us as citizens of one country.

This is one of my biggest soap boxesÉsorry if I went a bit overboard.

J: Well, we have several months to go so I am sure that one is coming! If we had one of these months, it would be discrimination!

I thought we were all Americans!

Me: We should all be Americans with no hyphens. That is why I donÕt like this ÒmulticulturalÓ movement. It damages our sense of collectiveness as a nation. And itÕs meant to, because the ones behind it think that white Americans need to be humbled, taught a lesson, or however you want to phrase it.

Look at whatÕs happening in France and other European nationsÉthey didnÕt make an effort to absorb their immigrants, and now the immigrants donÕt consider themselves to be citizens of those countriesÉin fact, they openly despise where they live.

America used to be known as the Great American Melting Pot. Now we'd be more rightly called America Served A la Carte. The multicultural agenda being served up by the left is already backfiring on us...and it will only get worse if nothing is done to stop it.

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Delete, Delete, Delete!

There's a first time for everything...I decided to pull the post about "annoying co-workers" after I gave it some thought and realized someone out there might know who I was talking about, even though I never mention which company I work for. People have been fired for less...

Thanks to those who commented. As I don't anticipate posting on that subject again, I don't figure I'll be pulling any more posts.

Thanks for understanding!

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May 05, 2005

NAMBLA + ACLU = Sickening

Photios has posted about a case where the parents of a child rape/murder victim are suing NAMBLA (North American Man-Boy Love Association) because they believe the materials NAMBLA puts out contributed to their son's murder.

The ACLU, of course, considers NAMBLA's pamphlets on such topics as where to go to have sex with young children and how best to flee the country if caught...free speech.

Read it here, if you don't mind your stomach churning.

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Bombs in New York

Well...more like altered grenades. But they went off outside of the British consulate early this morning, at a time that coincides with British citizens heading to the polls in their parliamentary elections. No injuries, just shattered windows and a broken planter.

I posted about it earlier on Lifelike Pundits.

The Man at GOP and the City thinks it might be a dry run in preparation of something bigger.

I think it was meant to be a message to Britain. But who knows? Now I'm just waiting for my mother to ask me to quit my job in Manhattan, which I won't do...not for this, anyway. Showing fear is what the terrorists want. And when it's time for you to go, it's time for you to go.

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The Smoking Debate

I'm of two minds when it comes to smoking. As a former smoker, I know how enjoyable that nasty habit can be. And, as one who doesn't smoke now, I know how disgusting it can be to be surrounded by oodles of smoke in say, a bar or restaurant. And, I really get angry when people smoke in their homes or cars when there are children around.

But should smoking be banned altogether?

In many towns and cities, smoking is banned in offices and other places of employ. The ban has spread in some states to include restaurants and bars (New York, Connecticut and California come readily to mind). If you're a smoker in San Francisco, you can't light up in public parks, recreation areas or open spaces. In Montgomery County, Maryland, people who smoke in their own homes and the smoke offends their neighbors would have faced heavy fines had a law that was passed not been repealed.

Isn't America the "land of the free?" I guess not if you're a smoker.

A Michigan company has taken this one step further. Weyco, a medical benefits administrator in Okemos, has banned its workers from smoking not only on the job but in their personal lives. The company gave its employees a certain amount of time to quit, offering programs to assist them, and then fired anyone who continued to smoke beyond the time limit...testing them for nicotine in their systems to find out if they violated the ban.

Smoking is a health risk. That much is a given. And people who choose to smoke, knowing those risks, are being foolish. But isn't that their right?

Companies that take this route say they're doing it for a number of reasons: they want to cut down on company health premiums, or they don't want their company associated with the negative aspects of smoking and people who smoke. So what's to stop them from hiring people who are severely overweight? Being obese has health risks as well. And how about not hiring black people because of their higher risk for heart disease? Doesn't that increase health premiums?

Some have argued that it's a company's right not to hire smokers for whatever reason. But in today's society where it's against the law to discriminate on the basis of color, ethnicity, sex or physical disability, why is it okay to discriminate against smokers? Why the double standard?

Either apply the law equally or get rid of it. Smokers shouldn't be reduced to second-class status because of their choices, however unhealthy they may be.

NOTE: Larry Elder wonders when Democrats will be in the same position as smokers.

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May 04, 2005

Susan Estrich Making Sense!

I don't always agree with Susan Estrich...make that hardly ever, when it comes to politics. However, when she pens articles like this, she has my full attention:

The girls dress just like their mothers. Why wouldn't they? If you don't want your daughter to wear slutwear, don't wear it yourself. The only thing that looks worse than a teenager dressed in slutwear is a middle-aged mother with her middle hanging out trying to look like her daughter's sister.

Can't we spare our daughters the lousy role models and our sons the confusion, even if retailers don't think we're ready to grow up?

It's about setting limits and saying "no" when necessary. Read it...if you're a reasonable person, you'll agree with everything she says.

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THIS Is Why We Fight

Carrying hidden explosives into a public area and detonating them outside a police station in order to "prove your point" just goes to show why we can't show the terrorists any mercy. This child was fatally wounded because, rather than fight like real men, the jihadists choose to sneak around and kill innocent citizens. I'd wish our "peace activists" here at home could see this soldier's face, because I'll bet he was crying as he carried this child from the scene. But no, he's the baby killer...

I'm almost crying now.

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Air America's Ratings Are Floating Next to the Tidy Bowl Man

I guess I'm showing my age when I mention the Tidy Bowl Man...the little sailor floating in the tank, touting the benefits of Ty-D Bowl toilet cleaner in those '70s commercials. But face it: Air America's ratings are in the toilet. Byron York reviews the numbers:

For one thing, the network is only on the air in about 50 of the nationÕs 285 radio markets. And in most of those, it is broadcast on small stations, often with weak signals. So it is impossible to compare Air AmericaÕs ratings to those of its conservative competitors, such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, who are heard on hundreds of stations.

But we can compare them in at least one place Ñ New York City.

Air America's flagship station, WLIB, is based in New York City. So is WABC, home to Sean Hannity. So comparisons in the city should be interesting.

When the fall 2004 (October, November and December) ratings came out, they revealed that Franken had pulled just a 1.8 percent share of the 25-to-54audience Ñ well behind LimbaughÕs 4.1 percent share...

Now we have ratings for January, February and March of this year, and they show Franken with a 1.9 percent share to LimbaughÕs 3.2 percent share.And thatÕs just Franken versus Limbaugh. Air AmericaÕs overall ratings in New York are far, far worse.

The station on which it is heard, WLIB, used to broadcast a mix of Caribbean music and talk. In its last quarter before switching to Air America, it won 1.3 percent of the total audience in New York. Despite all the publicity, Air America is now actually drawing lower ratings than the old music format; in the most recent figures, Air America score a 1.2 percent share of the New York audience.

And that is in true-blue New York City, where you might expect a liberal
talk network to do well.

York goes on to cite that Air America is doing well in a few places like Portland, Oregon. Yet overall, the network is floundering. He thinks that perhaps it's because the hosts just aren't very good, or that they aren't as civil as they like to pretend they are (Randi Rhodes' little "jokes" about killing President Bush, for example).

But my theory has always been this: Most leftists don't like to bother with pesky details, even when those details are those they agree with. They prefer soundbites from news shows on television, scanning the newspaper headlines, and getting little e-alerts from CNN and other sources on the Internet. (And those who do want detail usually tune into NPR because they're used to their daily dose of refined leftism.) I know now that when I considered myself to be a "liberal," I really was terribly uninformed. I simply didn't "have the time" to investigate matters thoroughly. I allowed others to do my thinking for me.

Talk radio isn't for everyone, but those who tune in do so because they want to be informed. The audience Air America wants to reach doesn't have time for that kind of information avalanche. And that's why Air America is doomed to fail.

UPDATE: In an interview on Chrenkov today, Brian Anderson, author of South Park Conservatives, has an opinion as to why leftwing talk radio is failing:

What need was there, though, to listen to, say, Mario Cuomo's brief-lived radio show - he was going to be the liberal answer to Rush Limbaugh - when you could get the same snobby condescension on the New York Times editorial page, CBS News, or NPR? I love Cuomo's explanation for why liberals fail on the radio: we write with "fine-quill pens," he says, while conservatives write with "crayons." Unpack that arrogant, elitist observation and you get a quick picture of why today's Democratic Party is having trouble winning elections once you get away from the coasts.

Read it all for a more comprehensive look at the conservative "backlash" among younger people today.

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May 03, 2005

It's Time for Teddy to Step Down

Why? For rudeness, of course. Clifford D. May recalls his harrowing encounter with the senator's anger about 20 years ago:

ÒWhat do you think you're doing?Ó he shouted for all to hear. ÒYou're either with this group or you're not with this group. You don't come waltzing in anytime you choose!Ó

If John Bolton's temper is a gauge by which his effectiveness in the UN is to be measured, shouldn't all public officials be held to the same standard?

Hat tip: Roger L. Simon

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The NYT Said What?

I know I have bad eyesight, but when I saw the beginning to this editorial in today's New York Times, I thought perhaps I needed to head to the optometrist again:

The Bush administration did just the right thing recently when it condemned the re-election of Zimbabwe to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

The Bush administration did something right? Are pigs flying? Is the world about to end? When the NYT praises anything that has to do with W, one has to wonder.

Of course, Zimbabwe on the UN Commission on Human Rights is a joke. "President" Robert Mugabe, whose soldiers ousted white farm owners by force and hunted down members of the political party who opposed him isn't exactly a candidate for Human Rights poster boy.

No organization more embodies the U.N. at its worst than this ineffective tool of cynical politics. Its rotating members, which meet for six weeks every spring, also included China, Cuba, Sudan, Nepal, Congo, Guatemala and Saudi Arabia this year. Abusive states get on the panel so they can block criticism of their policies.

So not only do we have the NYT praising the Bush administration, but we also have it criticizing the UN in the same space. Gott in Himmel!

It's all a bit too much for me...I need to lie down for a while.

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Hillary's Ever-Changing Moods

Is Hillary a moderate or a hard-leftie? Joe-six-pack over at geosciblog tries to answer that question today. A snippet:

Even if Hillary was rethinking her positions and changing many of them, what does that say about her character? As I have prattled on about before, I still hold to a few of the values and beliefs from my years as a "Classical Liberal", though some might consider the values to actually be Libertarian. When we make public statements about our beliefs, if we don't have a good reason for that stance, then why are we doing it? Consider Hillary's long history of Lib/Leftist statements. Have they all been for the purpose of gaining influence within the Democratic Party? If these statements were all "Window Dressing", what does it say about her that she can discard them so easily?

Head on over, read the whole thing, and see if you agree.

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May 02, 2005

Why It Isn't Wrong to Deny Felons the Vote

In 48 states, voting by felons is restricted. However, Hillary Clinton and other like-minded Dems would like to restore felons' voting rights. Why?

One could guess that Dems simply are hoping that, given the right to vote once again, felons will feel grateful to the political party that spearheaded the effort. Edward Feser of City Journal discusses the case at length:

The most frequently heard charge is that disenfranchising felons is racist because the felon population is disproportionately black. But the mere fact that blacks make up a lopsided percentage of the nationÕs prison population doesnÕt prove that racism is to blame. Is the mostly male population of the prisons evidence of reverse sexism? Of course not: men commit the vast majority of serious crimesÑa fact no one would disputeÑand thatÕs why there are lots more of them than women behind bars. Regrettably, blacks also commit a disproportionate number of felonies, as victim surveys show. In any case, a felon either deserves his punishment or not, whatever his race. If he does, it may also be that he deserves disenfranchisement. His race, in both cases, is irrelevant.

Click the link above to read the whole thing. It's simply brilliant.

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Another Celeb to Cross Off My List...

Val Kilmer has been trashing his fellowAmericans while in London for a production of "The Postman Always Rings Twice," calling us illiterate, ignorant, and inferring we don't read books.

Has Val-ley boy seen the crowds at Borders lately? Or is he just upset because his latest film epic Alexander the Great tanked at the American box office?

Yet another Hollywood chump who didn't go further than high school feels the need to talk about how stupid the rest of us are. (I'm not saying you are stupid if you don't go to college, but if you're going to talk about the stupidity of others, you'd better have more than just a filmography on your resume!)

What a loser...

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Paris Hilton Gets Serious...Like, Wow!

Paris Hilton, the blonde bimbo whose star has risen as a result of her famous name and partying habits is ready to put her wild days behind her:

"I'm glad I got the partying out of my system when I was young, because now I'm so over it and I can focus on my career," Hilton said one balmy afternoon late last week. "Now I'm trying to build an empire. I don't want to be known as this Hilton hotel girl my whole life. I want to make my own name."

Puh-leeze. If her name was Jill Smith, no one would have heard of her or cared if they did. The fact that she's the daughter of a wealthy family with social and business connections is the only reason we're seeing her on reality shows, commercials and the like. (She is also starring in the upcoming remake of the classic House of Wax...I hear her character gets killed off.)

She has no talent except for self-promotion. How much can you expect from someone whose trademark saying is "that's so hot!"? And for all the carping I may do about Britney "soon to be another selfish celebrity parent" Spears and her lack of real singing talent, at least she can dance...and she didn't make her way with a famous last name. What can Paris do besides showing her lack of common sense on shows like "The Simple Life" (and her in-the-sack romps with ex-boyfriends)?

I'm done ranting now...you may all go back to your daily routines.

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Sicka Fonda

Alright, I've posted on Janie before, but I'm going to do it again.

She is NOT SORRY for what she did during the Vietnam War. Why she wasn't charged with treason is beyond me, but that aside, how she (and other likeminded folk) can remain blind to the true horror that is communism and what happened in Vietnam after the U.S. pulled out is most definitely beyond my ken.

As Janie goes around the country hawking her new book (which apparently has little tidbits about one of her husbands "forcing" her into threesomes and other titillating trivia), Vietnam veterans everywhere are outraged that she continues to hold her head high about her role as an aider and abetter to the enemy. She viewed herself (and continues to do so) as simply a protester. But, as Dexter Lehtinen points out in the National Review, her actions were reprehensible:

First, of course, are the facts that she joined the enemy gun crew at all and made two visits to North Vietnam. Second, Fonda's self-initiated broadcasts on Radio Hanoi accused Americans of being war criminals. It was these broadcasts from the enemy's capital (not the gun photo) that gave her the lasting handle "Hanoi Jane" in emulation of "Tokyo Rose," an American who broadcast Japanese propaganda in World War II. In her self-proclaimed FTA ("F*** the ArmyÓ) rallies, she claimed that personal atrocities "were a way of life for many of our military".

Third, Fonda exploited American POWs for Communist gain, asserting that the POWs were being treated humanely following a Communist-controlled visit. In fact, the remarkable POWs who showed any resistance to the Fonda visit were beaten severely and she betrayed the POWs by falsely claiming that they expressed "disgust" and "shame" over what they had done. When the returning POWs
reported their torture, showing their broken bodies as proof, Fonda called them
"hypocrites and liars.Ó She claims in her book that she was "framed."

Fourth, Fonda ignored the non-Communist Vietnamese and Cambodians who
resisted the Vietnamese Communists and the Cambodian Khmer Rouge, showing no
concern for their fate. Fonda continued to support the Communists against indigenous non-Communists even after American withdrawal. She was not "anti-war"; she was "pro-war" Ñ for a Communist victory. She was not even "anti-atrocity" per se, remaining silent on Communist executions of Vietnamese and Cambodian civilians (such as the 3,000 slaughtered with their hands tied in Hue in 1968, or the final tragedy following Communist victories in 1975).

So for Janie to express her "regret" for being photographed on top of an anti-aircraft gun is really her saying she's sorry that she was exposed for what she was...a traitor to the cause, even though she'll never admit it to her dying day.

While I don't agree with one veteran's way of dealing with Fonda (spitting tobacco juice on her at a book signing), I do understand the feelings that prompted his action. Spitting on Fonda like that only puts her in a sympathetic light...and it's just as childish as the students who have been throwing pies and other foodstuffs at conservative speakers on college campuses of late. (Would the veteran have been tolerated for more than a few seconds if he had asked questions rather than hawking a lugie at Fonda? Not likely, I have to admit...he would have been hustled right out by security.)

Fonda's actions then and now beg the eternal question: if communism is so wonderful, why are she and other commie sympathizers still here? Those of us who ask, however, are dismissed as too simpleminded to understand all of the "nuances" involved. (Shades of John Kerry?)

Jane Fonda has always lived in a kind of Wonderland Ñ where American POWs are liars and Communist tyrants are honorable men. Now she says that "the U.S. loss represented our nation's chance for redemption" and that the Communist victory "symbolizes hope for the planet." Her latest foray into the Vietnam War only shows that, unlike Alice, Jane Fonda has yet to emerge from Wonderland.

Lehtinen put it quite succinctly, don't you think?

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May 01, 2005

Another Politically Correct Moment from Springsteen

Sorry I've been out of the loop...it's been a hectic weekend, and I've been away from the computer until now.

I'm not sure I'm sorry, however, when I see things like this:

[Bruce] Springsteen chose to be fairly economical with his comments between songs, although he did call for "a humane immigration policy" before playing the new "Matamoros Banks," lambaste the "dinosaur" mentality of the Bush administration (before "Part Man, Part Monkey") and talk about drifting away from the Catholic church (as a prelude to the new "Jesus Was An Only Son" ), among other ramblings. He ad-libbed a "That's right" after one audience member yelled "(Expletive) the president" at one point.

Showing off his high school education obviously isn't a problem for Springsteen pretty much every time he opens up his mouth. Playing "Part Man, Part Monkey" after discussing his displeasure with President Bush is like, so eighth grade.

Celebs like Springsteen yearn for the Clinton days in the White House, when glitterati like them were invited to state dinners and even to sleep over in the Lincoln Bedroom. Now that W is in charge, guests seem to be relegated to personal friends and important political contacts such as Tony Blair. Celebs don't like to be ignored. They think they're more important than the president and his comtemporaries.

It's news items like this that make me glad I was never a fan of Springsteen in the first place!

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